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CES 2011 Next-gen 3D viewers will get personal and, in some cases, lose the need for special glasses - or at least that's what Sony, for one, reckons.

At the Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) in Las Vegas this week, it showed off two possible products - no, it wasn't saying if or when they will come to market - for folk seeking a less communal 3D experience.

First up, a head-mounted display - essentially a 3D version of the iPod goggles companies like Vuzix and Eye-Theatre have been offering for years. Sony's version leaps ahead by combining a pair of tiny 1280 x 720 OLED screens, each capable of a supporting a 24-bit colour depth into a manga-styled headset.

The Sony boys also incorporate a pair of large headphones rather than buds and use on-board decoding to simulate surround sound through the left- and right- speakers.

They look and sound impressive, though there was no way to see what kind of monster AV rig Sony had tucked away under its stand to feed them.

It's portable 3D Blu-ray player is its own source, casting the content onto an 10.1in, 1366 x 768 LCD with a lenticular cover to present true no-specs 3D.

It too looked impressive... until you move your head from the dead-on, half-a-metre viewing sweet spot. Stand too far away and the 3D effect is much reduced - move to the sides and moire patterns disrupt the effect too.

With the gadget in front of you on your lap, a desktop or an aircraft seat-back table, that shouldn't matter, and the 3D is clear.

Of course, whether the material your watching really needs that extra dimension is another matter. ®